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      Doméstico uses “habitable artifact” to organize micro apartment in Quito

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      Ecuadorian architects Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones have made the most of the limited space in a micro apartment located within a new residential tower by Safdie Architects.

      Doméstico is located within the Qorner building in Quito, near La Carolina Park. The apartment tower was designed by Safdie Architects and developed by local firm Uribe Schwarzkopf. The lower portion opened this year while work continues on the upper levels.
      The micro apartment is located within the Qorner building in QuitoArchitects Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones – who are based in the city of Guayaquil –were tasked with designing a 27.5-squre-metre studio apartment for an active, middle-aged woman.
      The goal was to create open space within the compact studio without sacrificing basic living amenities.
      It features a versatile, floor-to-ceiling unit”The project is born from the need to solve, through architectural strategies, the spatial and formal limitations of this new way of living, in a way that relates directly to urban and social mobility,” the team said.

      The team ended up inserting a floor-to-ceiling unit with built-in, space-saving furniture and storage. This “habitable artifact” enables living functions to be condensed into a single organizing element that “transforms easily and does not sacrifice comfort”.
      The unit is made of water-resistant melamine boardsThe unit – made of water-resistant melamine boards – stretches along several walls and allows for an open area along the studio’s large window.
      Its placement, shape and functions were determined by the studio’s geometry and sightlines, along with the location of the building’s infrastructure.
      A compact galley kitchen contains basic amenitiesThe upper portion holds storage space and is accessed via a wheeled, metal ladder that can be moved around. The lower part accommodates everyday activities.
      Upon entering the studio, one steps into a compact galley kitchen with a fridge, stove, sink and cabinetry. A backsplash is lined with a mineral surfacing material from the company Silestone.

      Proctor and Shaw designs London micro-apartment with translucent “sleeping cocoon”

      Just beyond is the main room, which features an open space with a sitting area.
      Lining one side of the room is the organizing unit, which contains a bed and desk/table, both of which fold up. A door in the corner leads to a bathroom with a sink, shower and toilet.
      The main room includes a sitting areaUp high, green metal shelves add a pop of colour to the austere apartment. Additional elements in the unit include aluminium door pulls and ceramic flooring.
      “Doméstico presents itself as a connection between architecture and furniture design, in which the space is created in relation to the new needs, and the constant reduction of space,” the architects said.
      Green metal shelves add a pop of colour”This premise questions the traditional dwelling limits, and puts in evidence the new parameters of contemporary domestic living.”
      Other projects by Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones include the conversion of a 1990s van into a mobile home for an Ecuadorian couple, and a tech office in Guayaquil with a patchwork of windows and shelves.
      The photography is by JAG Studio.
      Project credits:
      Architects: Juan Alberto Andrade, María José Váscones.Team: Cuqui RodríguezContractor: Paola Cañón, Uribe SchwarzkopfManufacturers: Área UIO, Aglomerados Cotopaxi, Novopan

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      Omar Gandhi designs a “light-filled wood cathedral” for Toronto restaurant

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      Canadian studio Omar Gandhi Architect has created a vaulted-wood interior inside a non-descript brick building for chef Matty Matheson’s restaurant in Toronto.

      Prime Seafood Palace is located in West Queen West and was a collaborative effort between Omar Gandhi Architect (OGA) and the restaurant’s chef, Matheson, who has developed an internet following.
      OGA designed a restaurant in the West Queen West neighbourhood of TorontoThe space was imagined as “a light-filled wood cathedral, lining an otherwise inconspicuous existing brick-clad building that blends into the city’s urban fabric,” the studio said.
      “I think that all of us brought different ideas to the table, but for our design team we wanted the space to be a surprise inside of a fairly unassuming new urban building on a very busy street,” Omar Gandhi, principal of OGA, told Dezeen.
      The restaurant has vaulted wooden ceilingsThe primary entrance to the restaurant is separated from the street by a courtyard next to the adjacent building. The facade of the building – an earlier brick building, similar to many others in that area of Toronto – was painted white.

      OGA placed a vaulted wood structure within the brick envelope so that the main dining room of the restaurant nests within. In order to achieve this, the architects suspended the wooden vault from the ceiling.
      Natural leather was used for the upholsteryThe principal goal was to create a “timeless space, free of trends, with local, natural materials that develop a patina and continue to enrich the restaurant over time,” said OGA.
      “Designing with wood and light was the starting point for the design,” the studio added.
      Brass detailing was used throughout the main dining roomThe vaulted room hosts the main dining room, where the white maple louvres that make up the ceiling extend over the windows.
      Here, OGA upholstered the booths that line the space with natural leather, based on ones used in Matheson’s grandfather’s restaurant on Prince Edward Island, the Blue Goose.
      Above the space, a “wood-clad cloud” runs the length of the peak of the vault and filters natural light from a skylight in the roof of the exterior envelope.
      The bar is covered by a wooden canopyNear the servers’ station is an accessible restroom with concrete walls, which has a double-height volume that allows the space to be lit by a skylight above.
      In this restroom, a custom concrete sink by Brandon Gore was cast in the shape of Canada’s Lake Erie, with a brass marker indicating the location of Matheson’s Ontario farm.
      The wood extends into the open kitchenMore louvres form the railing that separates the different sections of the main dining room, which feature brass detailing and lamps.
      A full bar covered by a cantilevered wood canopy stretches the length of the space, while a passage next to the bar leads into a private dining room.

      Omar Gandhi creates accessible viewpoint at Peggy’s Cove lighthouse

      At the end of the bar is the elevated slope that leads to an open concept kitchen.
      The restaurant also has a secondary dining space in the backroom, which has slightly different detailing – such as a wood-burning stove and wooden walls – that makes it “reminiscent of Ontario’s cabin country,” according to the designers.
      The backroom opens up onto the courtyardThis dining area also has glass doors on one side that lead out into the courtyard.
      Throughout the restaurant, OGA worked with Coolican & Company to conceive custom furniture both for the kitchen and the dining space. A standout feature was the inclusion of drawers in the booths that hold the restaurant’s custom knife sets.
      The custom tables have drawers for steak knivesOmar Gandhi Architects is based in Novia Scotia. Other projects include a home near Lake Ontario with a winding wood staircase as well as a cedar-clad home in Halifax.
      The photography is by Adrian Ozimek and Doublespace. 
      Project credits:
      Design team: Omar Gandhi, Stephanie Hosein, Jeff Walker, John Gray Thompson, Chad Jamieson, LaurenMcCrimmon, Kris MacDonald, Liam ThornewellRestaurant team: Matty Matheson, Gary Quinto, Coulson Armstrong, and Our House Hospitality CompanyPhysical model: Mary MaStructural: Diomis EngineeringMechanical & electrical: Spline GroupCode: LMDG Building Code Consultants Ltd.Lighting controls & dimming: OneLXCustom furniture: Coolican & CompanyMillworker (primary): Canara Woodworking Inc.Additional millwork: CNC Cung Inc.Custom concrete sinks: Brandon Gore (Hard Goods)Custom booth pendants: Concord Custom LightingCustom signage: Filo TimoArt: Darby MilbraithSpecialty paint finish: Handsome PaintersUniforms: Rosa RugosaContractor: Mazenga Building Group (primary), Bootstrap Design/BuildManufacturers/Suppliers: Moncer (engineered hardwood flooring), Baro Klaus (selected furniture & specialty lighting), Stone Tile (tile), KOL (fiber cement cladding), Vaughan Electrical Supply (lighting), Nella (equipment), Stovemaster (brick hearth), MBH (Steel/glass doors), Sørensen Leather

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      Bunn Studio designs Garde Hvalsøe showroom to resemble grand apartment

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      New York practice Bunn Studio has revamped a furniture showroom set in a Renaissance building in Aarhus, Denmark, to look more like an apartment than a store.

      Designed for Danish cabinet maker Garde Hvalsøe, the showroom houses the brand’s signature handcrafted kitchens and walk-in wardrobes alongside a selection of furnishings.
      Garde Hvalsøe’s Aarhus showroom is set in a Renaissance buildingThe 600-square-metre space is split over two levels and six different rooms, including a bathroom and a kitchen set-up much like a real residence.
      Although not typically included in a cabinet maker’s showroom, these spaces are designed to help customers visualise the furniture in their own homes.
      The store is split across six rooms including a kitchen”The layout is built with elements from a classic American high-end apartment including an entrance slash kitchen, lounge area, and a bedroom slash self-care area,” Bunn Studio explained.

      The Renaissance building dates back to 1898 and features high ceilings, slender proportions and large windows that admit a warm ambient light.
      Modern furnishings are contrasted against hand-painted glass ceilingsBunn Studio, led by Louise Sigvardt and Marcus Hannibal, wanted to create a mellow and laid-back atmosphere in the space using this natural light as the starting point.
      “The aim of the design was to create a place where visitors can spend their entire day comfortably and that invites guests to slow down and become aware of the details that characterise Garde Hvalsøe furniture,” the practice said.
      A large vanity mirror sits at the end of the first floorNo doors separate the different rooms, enabling visitors to see straight from the first-floor entrance to the mirror at the opposite end of the showroom in one long, unbroken line.
      Garde Hvalsøe’s minimalist and contemporary designs, including beds and bathtubs, sit in contrast with the building’s original features such as ornamented columns, mouldings and hand-painted glass ceilings.

      Brdr Krüger’s first showroom features soft colours and rococo references

      Bunn Studio selected a colour scheme to honour the existing features of the space, with the top of the walls painted in a dark chocolate brown.
      This makes the ceilings seem lower and creates a more intimate, cosy and domestic atmosphere, according to the practice.
      The top of the walls is painted in a dark chocolate brownThe earthy, natural colours of the columns and the walls are contrasted with lighter hues such as the shirting blue pinstripe of the bedding, the red Verona Rossa stone on the vanity table and the bright yellow lampshade that tops the floor lamp in the lounge.
      “We launched our first flagship showroom in Copenhagen in 2019 and opening our redesigned secondary space in Aarhus is an exciting progression for us,” commented Garde Hvalsøe founder Søren Hvalsøe Garde.
      “Bunn Studio has designed a bright and beautiful space where we can truly showcase our craftsmanship, our holistic approach to design and our quest for exquisite quality.”
      The showroom also features a bathroom set-upBunn Studio was also responsible for the design of the first standalone Copenhagen showroom from Danish furniture brand Brdr Krüger, which references the history of both the company and the location.
      The photography is by Michael Rygaard.

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      Hadi Teherani designs Middle East-inspired bathroom under a cupola for Axor

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      Promotion: architect Hadi Teherani has designed a bathroom concept for Axor based on Middle Eastern bathhouses, imagining the room as a place of retreat and holistic cleansing.

      Teherani designed the concept as part of Axor’s Distinctive project, which presents bathroom ideas from renowned architects as a way of exploring the trend of individualisation.
      Teherani was asked to create a personal “bathroom with personality” for the project and answered the brief by creating a circular, cupola-topped room meant to provide a sense of security and serenity.
      Hadi Teherani’s concept bathroom for Axor has a central tub that sits under a cupola”I see the bathroom as a space where I can clean myself – in a metaphorical sense as well,” said Teherani. “Here is where I arm myself for the day. This space protects me, offers me security, but at the same time, it doesn’t restrict me but rather gives me a feeling of space and infinity.”
      The concept takes the form of a cupola, which is Teherani’s way of conjuring those seemingly contradictory feelings of safety and liberation, security and freedom. It is “enveloping but not narrowing”.

      The cupola would sit at the centre of a home or hotel suite and be accessible from several points. It is inspired by Middle Eastern public baths, which would typically have several individual cupolas accommodating different functions.
      An oval double washbasin is located along the wallIn Teherani’s design, an organically shaped bathtub sits directly under the cupola, with a spacious shower area and oval double washbasin around it.
      “For me the cupola symbolises openness and secureness,” said Teherani. “The vastness comes from the high arched ceiling with a glass mosaic that stretches across the room like the sky.”
      “When you lay here in the bathtub placed in the centre of the room you get the feeling of looking into the vastness of the starry sky.”
      The circular room can be accessed from several pointsThis effect is enhanced by the chosen materials, which include glass mirror mosaic tiles that stretch from the floor to the cupola overhead. These reflect the light marble surfaces below, creating a glittering panorama of silvers and golds.
      Teherani’s bathroom concept is completed with Axor fittings in matt black: Axor Citterio E lever-handle and pin-handle faucets, Axor overhead and handheld showers, as well as Axor Universal Softsquare Accessories. He sees them as fulfilling the role of “functional jewellery”.
      “The faucets crown the bathroom concept with their timeless elegance and transport the water to the washbasin,” said Teherani. “The overhead shower is a recharging area for new energy, the bathtub faucet the water source at the bathtub.”
      The bathroom is finished with Axor fittings in matt blackThe bathroom demonstrates how linear fittings can be made to work in a round space, which Teherani said he accomplished by making “little cuts into the walls” and planning the positioning carefully.
      “The good thing about Axor is that the brand offers so many individual product variants so that it’s always possible to find a solution,” he added.
      Axor’s Distinctive project explores the trend of individualisation in personal living spaces through interviews and conversations with experts and Axor design partners, as well as bathroom concepts designed by leading architects.
      To view more of Axor’s products, visit its website.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Axor as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Mim Design conceives Melbourne's Au79 cafe as “greenhouse sanctuary”

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      Australian studio Mim Design has demarcated the Au79 cafe and bar in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre from the surrounding stores using an arched framework instead of solid walls.

      Set in a corridor between shopfronts, Au79 was designed as a “greenhouse sanctuary” that could offer shoppers a slice of serenity and respite within the bustling retail complex.
      Melbourne’s Au79 cafe is set in a corridor between shopfrontsMim Design, which was also responsible for creating Au79’s first outpost in the nearby city of Abbotsford, wanted the space to fit into its surroundings while also bearing resemblance to the company’s original cafe.
      The Chadstone mall has a vaulted glass ceiling, which the studio decided to mirror by encasing the cafe in an arched framework topped with a gridded metal canopy and cascading plants.
      One side of the pill-shaped plan is taken over by a cafeThis frame surrounds a pill-shaped plan, which is divided into two distinct zones by a central servery.

      On one side is a neutral-toned cafe and on the other a bar organised around a curved counter made of figured stone and flanked by brass-edged display cabinets.
      The other side houses a bar”The cafe addresses the main retail thoroughfare while the bar offers a more intimate and exclusive experience facing the luxury retailers,” said Kieren Guerrero, Mim Design’s lead designer on the project.
      “The resulting open floor plate sensitively maintains visibility across the cafe to the shopfronts beyond while the arched outlines produce a theatrical colonnade effect and subtle sense of privacy.”
      Huge spherical pendants hang along the centreThe sense of formality and grandeur created by the framework is enhanced by the overall symmetry of the space.
      A row of huge custom-made spherical pendant lights is hung along the length of the plan, fitting neatly into the central arches.

      Cold meats and cheeses inspire design of Hunter & Co Deli by Mim Design

      “At night, we wanted to create the atmosphere of sitting under the glow of the moon,” said Guerrero. “The gentle illumination allows the space to transition and hold presence from day to night, bringing a new dimension to Au79’s organic forms and natural materials.”
      Mim Design employed a tonal palette of brick, terrazzo, natural leather and stone within the interior. Brass details, lush scalloped profiles and tactile finishes echo Au79’s Abbotsford cafe.
      Banquette seating runs along the perimeter of the cafeFixed banquette seating runs along the perimeter of the cafe to maintain a sense of spaciousness while seating as many people as possible.
      Loose furniture settings enable flexibility and moveable joinery on the cafe’s frontage allows the space to transform in order to accommodate different events.
      Tiles and terrazzo are contrasted against flesh-coloured leather”The project crafts a textural, gilded oasis in the Chadstone shopping complex,” said Miriam Fanning, founder and principal of Mim Design.
      “We sought to create a destination that redefined the expectation of what a kiosk is, a place considered to be built form that held ideas of permanence and presence.”
      Other projects by the Melbourne studio include a delicatessen with a counter that looks like sliced salami and an office filled with perforated metal screens.
      The photography is by Timothy Kaye.

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      Olson Kundig's New York office includes a timber cityscape table

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      Earthy tones and a wooden table in the shape of a cityscape feature in the Olson Kundig’s first New York office, which was designed with sensitivity to the 100-year-old building it occupies.

      Located in Midtown Manhattan, the office is spread across the 10th floor of a mid-rise tower constructed in 1923.
      The office features a central living room with a sculptural tableOlson Kundig – a studio with its primary offices in Seattle – created the interior to be its first New York City hub with a material and colour palette that responded to the building’s 100-year-old history.
      The open-plan office is defined by a central “living room” that features a 144-square-foot (13-square-metre) wooden table on wheels with a statement geometric cityscape.
      The cityscape was informed by the office’s New York locationCreated from raw timber offcuts, the table is divided into quarters for different configurations. It was designed by studio principal Tom Kundig and fabricated by Spearhead.

      “The design was the result of a conversation Alan [Maskin] and I had about our teacher, [the late architect] Astra Zarina, and our fond memories of gathering around the table at her home in the centre of Rome,” Kundig told Dezeen.
      “She always had a big pile of candles in the centre of the table, similar to the abstract masses at the centre of our table.”
      “We want to foster the same spirit of conversation and sharing between colleagues and collaborators in this new office space, so it was a natural place to draw inspiration.”
      An unenclosed kitchen is also located adjacent to the stationsA series of wooden workstations are arranged across the open-plan office, while conference rooms feature around its perimeter. An open kitchen is also located adjacent to the stations.
      Platforms are positioned above the workstations offering a display area for sculptures and models. According to the studio, this continues its tradition of integrating art into everyday life.

      Steel mesh wraps Nike’s LeBron James Innovation Center by Olson Kundig

      The office interior was designed to reflect its Manhattan location, rather than mirror the firm’s flagship office in Seattle, according to Kundig.
      “The existing shell of the office was largely concrete and glass. We added wood and warmer tones to soften the space, with natural materials to add texture and interest,” explained Alan Maskin, partner at the studio.
      Artwork is displayed around the officeA mixture of vintage and contemporary furniture was sourced locally from locations in Brooklyn and Tribeca.
      Like the Seattle office, the New York space will also host various art events, tying the otherwise-unique locations together.
      Wooden elements define the spaceOlson Kundig was founded in 2000. The firm has completed multiple international architecture projects including a beach house with louvred shutters in Sydney and a timber floating home in Seattle.
      Another practice that designed its own studio is Urselmann Interior, which created its office using only biodegradable and recycled materials.
      The photography is by Angela Hau.

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      No Architects references owner's artworks in Prague maisonette

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      No Architects repeated rounded beveled corners, royal blue and numeric details throughout an apartment in Prague, which was informed by two contemporary paintings.

      The apartment in the Czech capital’s Žižkov district, takes cues from the two modern artworks belonging to the owners – an unnamed piece by Vladimír Houdek and Cesta domů by Josef Bolf.
      Vladimír Houdek’s painting is mounted on the wall beside the kitchen.Houdek’s unnamed painting, featuring the number sixty-nine, is hung between the dining and kitchen areas.
      The rectangular piece is displayed in portrait orientation and divided into four sections with a pair of reflected sixes and nines in a greyscale, gradiented typeface.
      The bottom edge of the kitchen cabinets echo the painting’s frayed edgesThe frayed edges of the artwork are referenced on the bottom edge of the kitchen wall cabinets, a tactile detail that contrasts the sweeping curves of the base cabinet opposite.

      Rich royal blue, the central colour in the composition, is found in the kitchen, corridor, bathroom and master bedroom manifesting as large planes of lacquered MDF, tile and velvet upholstery.
      The number 69 becomes a pattern when minimised and embossed on the perforated screen in the living area, and in a larger format on cupboard doors in the second bedroom.
      The repeated 69 motif decorates a screen in the living areaA second painting, Cesta domů by Bolf, is hung in the living area on a grey-toned wall directly opposite the piece by Houdek.
      The contrastingly melancholy artwork, whose title translates to “way home” or “road to home”, shows a street scene with buildings, trees and figures obscured by a dark palette of greys and black.
      The living room separates the stairway and entrance hall from the balconyThe emotive painting is referenced by the teardrop-shaped pendant lamps above the kitchen island and dining table. They also recall a waterfall mural by artist Patrik Hábl on the side a neighbouring building, which is visible from the living room window.
      “It is a simple living space for a family who understands art and wants to appreciate and enjoy it” summarised No Architects.
      “[An] interior where contemporary art is not just replaceable decoration”.

      Bespoke built-in furniture is found in each room, backed by a neutral palette of wooden oak and whitewash finishes on floors, walls and ceilings.
      The apartment is situated in a 1990s attic extension of the original building, which dates from the first half of the 19th century.

      No Architects is a Prague-based architecture, design and planning studio founded in 2009, which previously designed a nursery in Prague that aims to ease separation anxiety in young children by incorporating plenty of internal windows, cubby holes and clear sightlines across the space.
      The photography is by Studio Flusser.

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      Ten homes with spacious open-plan studies and workspaces

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      An apartment in the middle of Berlin and a home overlooking the Devon countryside feature in this lookbook, which spotlights 10 studies with open-plan layouts.

      Studies are often relegated to the stuffiest corners of the house, but a more flexible layout means there’s plenty of opportunity to play around with arrangement, privacy and light, often resulting in a boost in creativity and focus.
      The below projects demonstrate why a study needn’t be restricted to a separate room or mean sacrificing style, size or comfort. Living rooms can blend into places to work and in the case of Library Home, studies can be spread across the entire home.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks including bedrooms on mezzanine levels, relaxing wet rooms and living rooms with floor to ceiling glazing.
      Photo is by Mariell Lind HansenCharlotte Road, UK, by Emil Eve Architects

      Set inside the loft of a Victorian warehouse building in Shoreditch, east London, this industrial-looking workspace forms part of a wider living area that includes the kitchen and living room.
      In a continuation of the rest of the space, local studio Emil Eve Architects kept the original building’s exposed brickwork walls, timbers and columns and set them off against contemporary finishes including new metal finishes and tiling.
      Find out more about Charlotte Road ›
      Photo is by Olmo PeetersRiverside Studio Apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
      Exposed concrete beams, floors covered in a peach-hued resin and double-height windows create a brutalist look for the open-plan study in this studio apartment in the Riverside Tower in Antwerp.
      The home was designed by Studio Okami Architecten to feel as open and spacious as possible to allow its original concrete structure to take centre stage. The study is only designated by half-sized walls.
      Find out more about Riverside Studio Apartment ›
      Photo is by Jim StephensonDevon Passivhaus, UK, by McLean Quinlan
      Sweeping views of a historic sloping garden are enjoyed through the window wall of this study in Devon Passivhaus – a remote Passivhaus home created by McLean Quinlan for a client with green fingers.
      The interior is finished with earthy materials including reclaimed textured terracotta tiles, rough-sawn oak flooring and charred wood cabinetry, helping to create a “serene” environment and connect the home to the garden further.
      Find out more about project name Devon Passibhaus ›
      Photo is by José HeviaHouse 03, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
      Not unused to turning poky and compartmentalised Spanish apartments into sweeping open-plan residences, local studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil designed House 03 to maximise views of the outside.
      The architects removed the walls inside the 190-square-metre apartment to create an open-plan living, dining and study room. At one end of the room, they installed a dark wooden desk in front of built-in white shelving for a couple and their four young children to study.
      Find out more about House 03 ›
      Photo is by Robert RiegerBerlin Apartment, Germany, by Gisbert Pöppler
      As part of their overhaul of this central Berlin apartment, Gisbert Pöppler reorganised the floor plan so that the master bedroom, guest bedroom and bathroom are the only areas of the apartment that are completely separate.
      In the absence of walls, social spaces are distinguished by different materials: in the study, surfaces are overlaid with a minty colour while the entrance is panelled in red-lacquered wood.
      Find out more about Berlin Apartment ›
      Photo is by Santiago Barrio and Shen Zhong HaiLibrary Home, China, by Atelier Tao+C
      Bejing studio Atelier TAO+C transformed this 95-square-metre apartment in Shanghai into one huge study by installing floor-to-ceiling oak bookshelves around its edges.
      A secluded reading nook, which can be accessed via a set of marble stairs, is located on the mezzanine level, where residents can look down into the living area through a light bronze mesh that runs throughout the home.
      Find out more about Library Home ›
      Photo is by Oskar ProctorFlat House, UK, by Practice Architecture
      Large prefabricated panels made from hemp and lime form the structural shell of this house, giving it a tactile look while timber doors and woven rugs add further warmth to the interior.
      Practice Architecture worked alongside hemp farmers to erect the zero-carbon home which is located over the footprint of a pre-existing barn in rural Cambridgeshire.
      Find out more about Flat House ›
      Photo is by Brett Boardman Unfurled House, Australia, by Christopher Polly
      Sculptural white walls that “unfurl” vertically and horizontally into a series of connected interiors spaces were among the features that architect Christopher Polly introduced in his reconfiguration of a 20th-century house in Sydney.
      Large windows provide views of the lush vegetation outside from the study, which is linked to the living room below via a curving atrium with waist-height walls.
      Find out more about Unfurled House ›
      Photo is by Frederik VercruyssePenthouse Britselei, Belgium, by Hans Verstuyft
      Architect Hans Verstuyft spread his minimalist home office across the lower floor of this penthouse in a converted Antwerp office building.
      Like the rest of the apartment, the office is open plan and arranged around an open-air courtyard. Full-height glass windows from the desks and meeting room offer views of the 35-year-old tree at its centre and brings light into the space.
      Verstuyft finished the interiors, which are minimalist in style, with lime-washed walls and brass detailing.
      Find out more about Penthouse Britselei ›
      Photo is by Lit MaGrosvenor Residence, China, by Lim + Lu
      Lim + Lu designed Grosvenor Residence, this first-floor apartment in the Hong Kong metropolis for a nature-loving Japanese and British couple with two children.
      The studio opted for neutral colours and finishes and plenty of greenery to make it feel like a tranquil retreat.
      In the home office, which is located in the brightest corner of the apartment, oak slats line the otherwise minimalist white walls while a long, L-shaped Calacatta marble desk sits below built-in timber shelving with brass accents.
      Find out more about Grosvenor Residence ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing statement skylights, kids’ bedrooms with loft and bunk-beds and welcoming terraces.

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